Sherlock Holmes Postcolonial Theories

Sherlock Holmes novels are the face of mystery, featuring literature’s greatest detective, but one might ask, how does The Hound of the Baskervilles fit into the genre’s common conventions? Mystery being a sub genre of genre fiction novels, it has many common conventions found throughout the majority of the novels. In the average mystery, the plot focuses around a crime, commonly a murder or a robbery, in which the culprit must be found by the protagonist. The crime in Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles is that Sir Charles Baskerville has been murdered, or frightened to the point of death. Generally the protagonist who solves the mystery, has a dominant character flaw and/or defining characteristic which aids them in cracking

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 22nd May 1859. He attended Edinburgh University and graduated with a degree in medicine, in 1881. He then practised as a doctor from 1882-1891, but not very successfully. Whilst practising as a doctor, in 1887, he published his first short story featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, “A study in Scarlet”. The Strand magazine, founded in 1890, published a series of Sherlock Holmes stories, this let both the detective and the magazine becoming extremely popular. My essay will be based upon how Doyle creates suspense in the following three short stories; “Silver Blaze”, “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”, and I will be commenting on what impact it may have on the

Sherlock Holmes used deduction to solve mysteries. Firstly, by using deduction, Holmes can tell a lot from Mr. Wilson. For example, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an author, shares how Holmes used deduction to solve the mystery of the Red Headed League (Doyle). Thus, Holmes is a very smart man that knows how to pick apart a mystery. Secondly, Holmes deduced that Helen came to see him by train and rode on muddy roads. For instance, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reports that Holmes deduced that Mrs. Stoner’s step father is violent (Doyle). Therefore, Holmes can solve any mystery by deduction. Thirdly, Holmes looks at the evidence and concludes that Mrs. Violet is impersonating the prisoner in the wing. To illustrate, Sir Arthur Conan

These little details will show up every now again all connected, but not clear to the characters or readers except Sherlock of course. These details are why this mystery story is such an interesting and a classic. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a mystery story that would appeal to people want and desire to be a detective of their own. These mystery stories don’t have to involve death or a tragic attack. This mystery story is a testament and a model for the theme of mystery stories.

The notion of separate spheres serves to set up the roles of men and women in Victorian society. Women fulfill the domestic sphere and are seen as submissive and emotionally sensitive individuals. Conversely, men are intelligent, stable, and fulfill all of the work outside of the home. In Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, the Count seems to actually embody the fear of the breakdown of such separate spheres. However, Stoker breaks down these separate spheres and the fear associated with their breakdown through the theme of the “New Woman” intertwined with the actions and behaviors of the characters in the novel.

The basis of detective fictions is a well-developed and observant character that is able to walk the audience and outside perspectives through the case. In this case, Arthur Conan-Doyle utilizes the observant perspective of Watson to describe the actions of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle characterizes Sherlock through underscoring vocabulary and the first person understanding of Watson. A series of analytical language and descriptive literary devices such as juxtaposition to portray the effects of Irene Adler on the near-perfect character of Sherlock Holmes.

Tannen, D. “There Is No Unmarked Woman” English 102 Reader. Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston: 2013. pages 376-381. Print

Another thing to consider furthermore is the roles of women in men's everyday life back then.Holmes wanted a world where women were weak and vulnerable, unable to help themselves. Ironically enough that was the thought of how men mostly viewed women back in that time period. This book proves what the times were like, there was no denying it men were dominant powers back then. Dr. Holmes used ladies weaknesses to his advantage, he knew how to play the game. Even though Holmes was like this women still threw themselves at him

Postcolonial critiques of literary works are often accomplished by reading and interpreting the work with a specific theme in mind or a ‘lens’. By allowing oneself to use a ‘lens’ when reading specific works, it allows the reader to interpret the effects of the themes and the changes throughout the writings. The goal of the critical lens is to seek to understand the behavior of characters or the society ("Post Colonialism," 2016). A few of the most popular themes used to view literary works are identity, oppression and power; applying this ‘lens’ can give the reader a different perspective and experience while reading the writings.

Dracula can be read as an almost transparent metaphor for the confusion, guilt and anger over what is considered to be the ‘proper’ role of women in Victorian society. The ‘vamping’ of a human female - such as in the case of Lucy - succeeds in adding a sexualised and sexualising element to women, who - according to the time period - are then only ‘purified’ through further sexual and violent acts, such as being penetrated by a wooden stake (Skal, 31).

The gothic vampire classic Dracula, written by Bram Stoker, is one of the most well known novels of the nineteenth century. The story focuses on a vampire named Dracula who travels to England in search of new blood, but who eventually is found out and driven away by a group of newly minted vampire hunters. A major social change that was going on during the late nineteenth century, around the time of that this novel was being written, was the changing roles of women in British society which constituted as the “New Woman” movement and the novel seems to explore and worry about this subject extensively. These women wanted to be freed both politically and sexually, but much of the general population at the time found it unsettling (Dixon,

subject of social ostracism, and the New Woman, the advent of which was feared by the majority of the British Victorian patriarchy, was a prominent aspect of much mid-to-late Victorian era literature. Supplementary evidence to support the compelling Victorian era literary connection between the vampire and the New Woman can be extrapolated from the unique gender role standards that defined that socially complex era. As Catherine Siemann suggests in her essay, “Darkness Falls on the Endless Summer: Buffy as Gidget for the Fin de Siecle,” the Victorian New Woman’s “personal

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was written by Sir Arthur ConanDoyle. The novel was first published in 1892. A Scandal in Bohemia was a short story about a woman who has pictures of herself and a high Englishnobleman. She used them to blackmail him. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a novelist, a detective-story writer, and aphysician. He was born on May 22, 1859 and died on July 7, 1930. He beganwriting The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1890 and finished writing it in1892. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was so successful in his writing that he gave uphis career as a physician only five years after the creation of Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were created by Sir Arthur

When someone mentions the occupation of detective, a single image usually comes to mind, a man wearing a cape and deerstalker, holding a magnifying glass and smoking a pipe. This entire image can be contributed to one character: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is considered by many to be the greatest detective to ever exist, even if he only exists in the pages of books and on movie and television screens. It is impossible to escape the influence of Holmes. Countless references are made to him in all types of media and he is used as an inspiration to may more fictional characters we have all grown to love. The cultural impact of Sherlock Holmes has spread to more than just fiction; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s

The postcolonial era presents various issues for the decolonized nations, like the reconstruction of a government and the maintenance of an economy. In addition to that, the individual identity of the colonized people is a complex issue that they must cope with as well, and it is an issue that is still present today. Compared to the other issues of postcolonialism, the construction of one’s identity might appear trivial; however, there are many problems of postcolonial identity, including the obligation of one to perceive themselves as people do from the outside through stereotypes, and the difficulty of unifying two conflicting identities: one that is created by outside sources, and one that is created through personal experiences.